Rose leaf diseases

Leaves show disease most clearly: spots, yellowing, curling, powdery coating or holes. Compare your leaves with the diseases below.

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Where is the problem?

Anthracnose

Anthracnose

This entry groups two fungal leaf-spot diseases with identical treatment and prevention: anthracnose (round to…

Fungal
Aphids

Aphids

Aphids (family Aphididae — the common pest species on roses is Aphis gossypii) are soft-bodied insects, approximately…

Insect
Black Spot

Black Spot

Black spot is caused by the fungus Diplocarpon rosae. It is one of the most prevalent diseases on roses, producing…

Fungal
Ca Deficiency

Ca Deficiency

Calcium (Ca) deficiency typically develops in acidic soils, leached substrates, or where irrigation is uneven, because…

Physiological
Downy Mildew

Downy Mildew

Downy mildew is caused by the oomycete Peronospora sparsa. Damp, cool, poorly ventilated conditions allow the disease…

Fungal
Drought Stress

Drought Stress

Drought stress develops when the plant does not receive enough water — through insufficient irrigation, a substrate…

Physiological
Fe Deficiency

Fe Deficiency

Iron (Fe) deficiency is usually caused by alkaline soil (pH > 7), which precipitates iron into forms the roots cannot…

Physiological
Fertilizer Burn

Fertilizer Burn

Fertiliser burn (salt injury) occurs when chemical fertiliser is applied at too high a rate or too high a…

Physiological
K Deficiency

K Deficiency

Potassium (K) deficiency is common on light (sandy) soils, leached substrates, or where nitrogen has been applied…

Physiological
Leaf Cutter

Leaf Cutter

This damage is caused by leaf-cutter bees (Megachile spp.), which excise neat semi-circular pieces from leaf margins to…

Insect
Leafhopper

Leafhopper

The rose leafhopper (Edwardsiana rosae, family Cicadellidae) is a small, slender insect that hops or flies off short…

Insect
Light Deficiency

Light Deficiency

Light deficiency occurs when the rose does not receive enough light to photosynthesise efficiently. Roses need at least…

Physiological
Mealybug

Mealybug

Two closely related piercing-sucking pests commonly attack roses: Mealybugs (Pseudococcidae): soft-bodied insects…

Insect
Mg Deficiency

Mg Deficiency

Magnesium (Mg) deficiency typically develops in acidic soils, in heavily leached substrates, or where potassium has…

Physiological
Mn Deficiency

Mn Deficiency

Manganese (Mn) deficiency typically occurs in alkaline soils (pH > 7) or in soils with very high organic-matter content…

Physiological
N Deficiency

N Deficiency

Nitrogen (N) deficiency occurs when the rose is not supplied with enough nitrogen — typically because the soil is poor,…

Physiological
P Deficiency

P Deficiency

Phosphorus (P) deficiency occurs when the rose is not supplied with enough phosphorus — one of the three macronutrients…

Physiological
Pestalotiopsis Leaf Spot & Blight

Pestalotiopsis Leaf Spot & Blight

Pestalotiopsis leaf spot and blight is caused by fungi of the family Pestalotiopsidaceae — chiefly Pestalotiopsis and…

Fungal
Powdery Mildew

Powdery Mildew

Powdery mildew is caused by the fungus Sphaerotheca pannosa (also classified as Podosphaera pannosa). It is one of the…

Fungal
Red Spider Mite

Red Spider Mite

This damage is caused by the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae. Despite the name, it is an arachnid rather…

Insect
Rose Mosaic Virus

Rose Mosaic Virus

Rose mosaic is caused by a complex of plant viruses, most often Prunus necrotic ringspot virus (PNRSV) and Apple mosaic…

Virus & Bacteria
Rose Rosette Disease

Rose Rosette Disease

Rose Rosette Disease (RRD) is one of the most destructive diseases of roses (Rosa spp.), especially across North…

Virus & Bacteria
Rose sawfly (rose slug)

Rose sawfly (rose slug)

The rose sawfly (rose slug, family Tenthredinidae) is the larva of a leaf-eating sawfly, not a true caterpillar. In…

Insect
Rust

Rust

Rose rust is caused by Phragmidium spp. The disease is recognised by the orange or brown spore pustules that develop on…

Fungal
Soil pH Imbalance

Soil pH Imbalance

Soil pH imbalance — either too acidic (pH < 5.5) or too alkaline (pH > 7.5) — locks up many nutrients into forms the…

Physiological
Sulfur Deficiency

Sulfur Deficiency

Sulfur (S) is often called the fourth major nutrient for roses, after nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. It is a…

Physiological
Sunburn

Sunburn

Sunburn (sunscald) occurs when the plant is exposed to direct sunlight that is too intense, particularly when air…

Physiological
Thrips

Thrips

Thrips are tiny (1–2 mm) piercing-sucking insects in the order Thysanoptera, most commonly Frankliniella occidentalis…

Insect
Waterlogging

Waterlogging

Waterlogging occurs when the substrate stays saturated for an extended period, depriving the root zone of oxygen. The…

Physiological
Whitefly

Whitefly

Whiteflies (family Aleyrodidae) are not true flies but close relatives of aphids and mealybugs. They are tiny insects,…

Insect

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